1. Field of the Invention
The invention describes a modular power semiconductor module. In principle, such power semiconductor modules comprise a housing with a base plate and at least one electrically insulated substrate disposed in it. The electrically insulated substrate in turn comprises an insulation body with a plurality of metal connection tracks located on it and insulated from one another and power semiconductor components located on the connection tracks and connected with appropriate wiring to these connection tracks. Advantageously, the substrate, on its underside, has a flat metal layer comparable to the connection tracks.
2. Description of the Related Art
In principle, power semiconductor modules of this kind, as published for instance in German Patent Disclosure DE 39 37 045 A1, have long been known. Various modern versions of such power semiconductor modules with high power for their size, which are the point of departure for this invention, are known for instance from German Patent Disclosure DE 100 11 633 A1.
DE 39 37 045 A1 for instance discloses a power semiconductor module, of the type defined above, which has a half-bridge circuit inside a housing. A circuit arrangement of this kind comprises two series-connected power switches, which are often embodied as a series circuit of power transistors, preferably insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs). Free-wheeling diodes are connected antiparallel to the various power switches. The power semiconductor module furthermore has terminal elements for the direct- and alternating-current load terminals. Such power semiconductor modules also have auxiliary terminal elements for triggering the power transistors and for further functions.
Typical power semiconductor modules have a plurality of screw connections for mounting on flat bodies, which as a rule are external heat sinks. The holes for such screw connections are preferably disposed in the corner regions of the power semiconductor modules.
From DE 100 11 633 A1, a further power semiconductor module is for instance known which has three half-bridge circuits, that is, a three-phase full-bridge circuit, inside one housing. The half-bridge circuit arrangements are disposed in three regions of the housing. The various circuit arrangements here again correspond to those of the prior art described above.
A disadvantage of constructing power semiconductor modules with one half-bridge circuit per housing, as in DE 39 37 045 A1, is that when three-phase full-bridge circuits are constructed from these individual modules, each module must be secured separately to the heat sink. Thus, replacing a power semiconductor module having a three-phase full-bridge circuit, as in DE 100 11 633 A1, with the aforementioned individual modules cannot be done by a simple exchange, since the fastening connections are not identical.
On the other hand, a three-phase full-bridge circuit inside a housing proves to be disadvantageous, because flaws in one half-bridge circuit found during production are a defect of the entire module. It is also disadvantageous that for other circuit arrangements, such as an H bridge, other housings, in this case with two half-bridge circuits for instance, are required, making economical production using only a small number of component groups impossible.